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That's because the Japan does not slap on copyright on everything and anything, which is partly why it is so hard to enforce copyright in the US. Basically, Japan can enforce things because the laws are very clean compared to the mess that are the US copyright laws.

Actually, that isn't quite how it works. Late Night anime (that pay to be aired) aren't worried about attracting advertisers. The production committee member companies essentially *are* the advertisers in all the commercial breaks. So attracting viewership by the numbers/ratings actually doesn't matter, except that they want people to buy the merchandise that the member companies are selling. They don't expect to make any money back on the TV airing or directly through viewership.

yes, there are very vew series (animated or otherwise) that are making back their investment due to companies buying advertisement
(for instance hitshows like "Friends" or "Seinfeld", but here the companies that produced it, were the company that aired it and owned the advertisment slots)

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Considering they don't make any money on the viewership, they have to make money on merchandise. In today's "media mix" culture, anime is generally funded through a group of companies depending on multiple revenue streams to each earn back their own portion of the investment.

As I stated with anime being "advertisements for Apparel"

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Affording "everything" that is released for all the anime that someone sees is not really the intention of the Japanese market (and is actually a funny notion introduced by Overseas licensors).

Not exactly what I meant, only to addres the 'supply/demand' issue
there is simply just too much put out by the companies producing anime to get a large revenue return
It's generally "Flood the market and hope for a hit" of which they can make money

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And then, at the top-tier, you have the Blu-Ray/DVD releases. Most of the viewership is not expected to purchase the Blu-Rays/DVDs because they've already seen it, and in many cases they could just as easily rent it if they want to see it again. The home media market in Japan is really reserved for collectors who are willing to spend the money to own a keepsake for shows they really enjoyed.

Ah yes, but having guitars, synthesizers and anime as hobby, I often notice there is no real money to be made from collectors (most of it is in the 2nd hand market)
manufacturers need to make money of the low-end to sustain the high-end

keeping the 'introduction' (in this case the series DVDs) at the high end will not make your market bigger
(If I were a Japanese with my own dutch soberness and would like to 'rediscover' an anime which piqued my interest but unfortunatly missed, the prices of their DVDs would make me conlude that they can go screw themselves)

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Again, this is talking mostly about late night anime (the kind that pays for viewership). Mainstream shows that air in primetime or weekend morning slots have a different funding model, and very rarely see any significant sales of the higher-end products like Blu-Rays/DVDs.

Again: blame the pricing
There will always be theft, but the more people can afford it, the less it will be stolen

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Nowadays, the vast majority (nearly all) newly-airing anime is simulcast in English as it airs... so I'm not really sure that this point still applies to today's market. Maybe if you were talking five years ago? Then again, I recognize that there are still regional lockout issues that need to be worked out; this is a bit of a secondary issue.

Not really 5 years ago, I've only been aware of things like Crunchyroll for the past 2-3 years
and thought this was still in its infant state
so I suspect you are correct and I'm behind the times

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All in all... I'm not exactly sure what you're proposing, but I'm not sure if I can follow your logic in terms of what the problems are, or what the solutions are that help address these problems.

Just trying to put my finger on the sore spot, somewhere in the grey area of justifying piracy and why the market is in the position it is
Conjecture, assumption, personal opinion stuff

Again: blame the pricing
There will always be theft, but the more people can afford it, the less it will be stolen

I don't think lowering the prices will cause a significant rise in sales volume. If they try to get the low money consumer with DVDs, they're going to end out competing against piracy, which they'll inevitably lose against.

The Anime DVD market only works because it's not trying t compete with Piracy, because it's not even trying to get everyone to buy. If they did try to get everyone to buy the DVDs, then they'd end out with the problems that US distributors are getting.

The only people willing to buy DVDs are collectors (not casual viewers), and the best way to exploit this is to charge huge prices, because Collectors are willing to pay them.

The only people willing to buy DVDs are collectors (not casual viewers), and the best way to exploit this is to charge huge prices, because Collectors are willing to pay them.

Yup, basically this; charge high prices for limited edition collector's goods that people will the money will be willing to buy. For people who just want to watch a show, rental is still a practical option in most parts of Japan (which it isn't in many other places of the world, particularly for anime). And otherwise, there are occasional re-runs on TV, legal online streaming... and yes, piracy. Plus, there are lots of other cheaper products people can buy, like manga, novels, or trinkets. The only people who would basically ever blind-buy Japanese anime releases are either hardcore fans of the franchise, or long-established anime collectors.

In the rest of the world this is harder because, until recently, there wasn't always a good way to watch before you buy. The American market basically treated almost every release -- even TV series -- as if it was an OVA. (And even most OVAs in Japan now air on TV first (even if it's limited).) So in the rest of the world, they actually are trying to market to the casual, first-time viewers, whereas the Japanese market has no such intention.

The good news on this front is that it is actually very clear: the people who don't want to collect aren't going to buy because they're not your customers for that product anyway. The best thing you can do is try to sell them other products that they may be willing to buy instead. So on this front, I actually think the Japanese anime industry is probably doing it right.

The good news on this front is that it is actually very clear: the people who don't want to collect aren't going to buy because they're not your customers anyway. The best thing you can do is try to sell them other products that they may be willing to buy instead. So on this front, I actually think the Japanese anime industry is probably doing it right.

Indeed, when non-Japanese look at those prices and get overcome with credulity at the seeming "price-gouging", they're basically failing to realise that it's a different business model. In America the expectation is that the only way you'll be able to (legally) watch the content is through the DVD, so it has to be cheap. That expectation doesn't exist in Japan (for the reasons you noted). DVDs are not for "everyone".

On the flipside, Tankobons are. I wonder how Manga is going to adjust to the digital marketplace. In fact, it's the reverse of the US. In the US, comics are collector's items (and are priced that way), while in Japan tankobon and anthologies are considered universal (and are priced cheaply accordingly). Manga is probably the only thing that's cheaper in Japan then anywhere else.

Yes, Singapore is indeed a fascist, corporate, police state/hell-on-earth that seems more like a setting from an 80's action film than real place.

But seriously, five years in prison for the most victimless crime imaginable? That is absurd to me.

What if they gave people five years for drinking a beer?

That's the sentence for drug trafficking. And honestly, if you're still going to risk it when you have the notion of death for being caught, you're a moron.

Singapore isn't bad. People still enjoy themselves. Alcohol seems like a popular thing here, so it's not like their laws prevent the populace from having fun. There are some strict laws with hefty consequences, but those same laws are what make Singapore very clean, and very safe. Their benefits outweigh the cons, imo.

The only thing hellish about Singapore is how ridiculously priced everything is. Or at least in the part of Singapore I visited. And considering how small the country is, I don't imagine it's much different elsewhere.

That's because the Japan does not slap on copyright on everything and anything, which is partly why it is so hard to enforce copyright in the US. Basically, Japan can enforce things because the laws are very clean compared to the mess that are the US copyright laws.

And this will mean less stuff will come out of Japan.

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